Human Resources News

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Topics in This Issue

New Interim Vice President 1

Heer Hall Open House 1

Honoring All Who Serve 2

Holiday Schedule 2

Institute for Excellence 2 Open Enrollment/Wellness Fair 3

Faculty/Staff Exercise Program 3 Reception for LNC and PAFSA 4 NAACP Celebration 4

Human Resources Leadership 4 Engagement and Outreach 4 College of Podiatric Medicine 4 New Faces/Going Places 5 Administrator Co-Authors Book 5 Recognitions and Awards 6 By the Numbers 6

The Division of Human Resources (HR), Research, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness (RPIE), and Academic Personnel successfully completed the move-in process to Heer Hall. On Thursday, May 16, a Heer Hall Open House was held for the university communi-

ty from 12-2 p.m. During the open house, visitors enjoyed a walking tour of the building, met familiar faces, and en-joyed some light refreshments. Guests were in awe of the design, openness, and ease of finding so many resources under one roof. Heer Hall is located at 635 Loop Road (directly across the street from the ice arena) on the Kent campus.

Heer Hall Open House

Human Resources Strategic Direction 6.2.1 & 6.3.1: Develop leading practices in the recruitment, retention, and recognition of outstanding faculty & staff, promote an inclusive and non-discriminatory workplace, and continue employee recognition programs.

Kent State University has named Joseph Vitale Jr. as its in-terim vice president for the Division of Human Resources. He assumed the role June 5, 2013. Prior to this appointment, he served as director for talent management at Kent State. In that role, Vitale directed efforts related to the acquisition and development of talent, including staffing, on-boarding and development planning. He also oversaw the issuance of university-wide compensation and directed efforts for labor and employee relations. “Joe Vitale is an experienced human resource professional who has been involved with attracting and retaining some of our most talented and dedicated employees here at the university,” says Kent State President Lester A. Lefton. “I have confidence in his ability to steer the Division of Human Resources to offer the highest standard of service to all Kent State employees.”

Vitale joined the Kent State University Human Re-sources division in 2005 and holds over 20 years of human resources experience. He has worked in the past as a Deputy Finance Director for U.S. Senator John Glenn and elected as a Council Pro Tempore for the City of Olmsted Falls. In 2013, he was a finalist for Cleveland Crain’s Business’ HR Leaders Award for the “2013 HR Executive of the Year” (http://www.crainscleveland.com/section/HR13).

Joseph Vitale Named Kent State’s New Interim Vice President for Human Resources

Interim VP Vitale with past Trustee Brian Tucker at the Crain’s 2013 HR

Leaders Awards Gala event

Page 2 Kent State University, Division of Human Resources HR News December 2013

The Institute for Excellence (IE) class of 2013 com-pleted its work in October with a graduating class of 39 members representing five Kent State campuses. The IE is Kent State’s leadership development initiative for faculty and staff, and it is designed to improve the performance of our current and next-generation leaders. This initiative aligns with Kent State Stra-tegic Goal VI, Developing and Recognizing Our People. During the ten-month program, participants have the opportunity to spend time with President Lefton and his executive officers gaining first-hand experience and insight into numerous leadership topics. At the conclusion of IE, each participant made a presentation in the company of their IE peers, direct supervisors and other sup-porters. Part of the presentation purpose was to share some of their most impressionable moments of learning they experienced while involved in IE as well as demonstrate how they are taking on lead-ership roles at Kent State University. This newest class of gradu-ates is now part of a larger Institute for Excellence Alumni group of 91 individuals. In addi-tion, this group of leaders must also contribute a minimum of eight hours over a 2-year period to maintain their certification in good standing with the Institute. This includes the possibility of being called upon by President Lefton, or his cabinet, for special assign-ments. This approach allows the university to continue to grow and educate its leaders on the evolving world of leadership science and behaviors. And, as we celebrate the accomplishments of our third year of IE graduates, we look forward to bringing in the class of 2014 in Janu-ary. The application process is currently underway for the class of 2014 for both the Administrator and Individual Contributor tracks. For more information, please visit http://www.kent.edu/hr/

Human Resources Strategic Direction 6.1.1: Strengthen and transform the univer-sity’s culture of excellence and facilitate strategic partnership to attain the univer-sity’s goals through training and development programs and sustainable initiatives to develop a high-performing organization.

Institute for Excellence

Institute for Excellence Class of 2013 Individual Contributor

Institute for Excellence Class of 2013 Administrator Track

Honoring All Who Serve

Kent State University held its annual Veterans Day ob-servance on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 11 a.m. at The Student Green, Risman Plaza. This year’s theme for the outdoor service was, “Honoring All Who Serve.” The program included a flag-raising ceremony conducted by a joint color guard from the Army and Air Force ROTC programs, and remarks from Kent State President Lester A. Lefton. A special invitation was extended to Kent State faculty, staff, students and community members who are veterans, active service members or who have family members in the mili-tary.

Former Staff Sergeant for the U.S. Air Force Andrew Altizer served as the guest speaker for the event. Altizer is a recipient of the Air Force’s Airmen College Scholarship and a current student at Kent State. Following the pro-gram, a reception was held in the Kent Student Center Kiva for all attendees. Veterans were treated to a special luncheon for themselves and their family members.

This event was a collaboration of the Division of Human Resources, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Alumni Association, Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, Center for Adult and Veteran Services, and Undergrad-uate Student Govern-ment.

Holiday Schedule

The practice of operating on a holiday schedule at the end of December will continue in 2013. The holiday schedule will run from Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2013 through Wednes-day, Jan. 1, 2014. During that time all nonessential opera-tions will be closed at all Kent State campuses. Regular university operations will resume on Thursday, Jan.2, 2014.

Classified and unclassified employees will receive paid leave for four days, Dec. 26, 27, 30 and 31. The paid leave is in addition to the paid holidays of Dec. 24, 25 and Jan. 1.

The holiday sched-ule applies to classi-fied and unclassified employees who nor-mally accrue vaca-tion throughout the year. A complete listing of depart-ments operating on

a fully, partially, or completely suspended schedule during this time can be found on the Holiday Schedule web site at http://www.kent.edu/hr/records/holiday-schedule.cfm .

Kent State University, Division of Human Resources HR News December 2013 Page 3

2014 Benefits Open Enrollment Launched with

Benefits & Wellness Fairs

The 2014 annual benefits open enrollment kicked off with open enrollment and wellness fairs at each of the eight cam-puses as well the College of Podiatric Medicine and the Twinsburg Regional Academic Center. More than 950 em-ployees attended the 10 fairs where they were able to meet with 31 insurance vendors, wellness exhibitors, and Univer-sity Benefits staff. All participants received complimentary promotional items and chances to win door prizes offered by the fair exhibitors. The Kent campus fair also included a free flu shot clinic provided by University Health Services, a free foot screening provided by the College of Podiatric Medicine, and a healthy food preparation demonstration by University Dining Services. In addition, OPERS held two break-out sessions to discuss pension and health care changes affecting those covered by the Ohio Public Em-ployees Retirement System. This year, the Banner system was the exclusive on-line open enrollment portal for the first time since 2010. For the pre-vious three years, the university contracted with another proprietary system to collect open enrollment data and in-terface with Banner at an annual cost of approximately $50,000. The dual systems presented significant challenges with data integration and compatibility. A team of Human Resources and Information Services personnel collaborated to design, develop, test and launch the new system, and eliminated the reliance on an outside vendor. In addition

to the $50,000 cost sav-ings, the new system is more user-friendly and efficient. Post-enrollment transactions and pro-cessing will be simplified and streamlined due to the consolidation to a single database.

During the open-enrollment period, Human Resources and Information Services’ staff provided employees with assis-tance and support. Employees had access to an Open-Enrollment Hotline, the Information Services’ Helpdesk, an on-line open-enrollment booklet, and an on-line video tuto-rial. In addition, Benefits staff hosted 11 open enrollment computer labs during the two-week period. The open-enrollment site was available 24/7 from Oct. 13 – Oct. 25 to enable employees to make changes as their schedules permitted.

Human Resources Strategic Direction 6.4.2: Support and promote the health and well-being of the university community through the implementa-tion of strategic and comprehensive health and wellness approaches.

Faculty/Staff Exercise Program Piloted with School of Health Sciences

The Division of Human Resources’ wellness team is excited to partner with the School of Health Sciences to launch its new Faculty/Staff Exercise Program. This summer the Division of Human Resources partnered with the School of Health Sciences to pilot a 12-week faculty/staff exercise program. The program is housed in the Gym Annex on the Kent Campus. The program was met with great enthusiasm with more than 90 faculty and staff enrolling. Employees could choose from two possible time options to meet their needs. Option one met on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. while Option two met Monday, Wednesday and Friday at noon. This program has been designed to assist individuals who may benefit from a more structured and personal exercise program due to a sedentary lifestyle or for individuals who may have some risk factors that require more supervision, such as hypertension, diabe-tes, family history of heart or coronary disease, metabolic disease, etc. The Faculty/Staff Exercise program offers individualized exercise programs that include:

Warm-up: Stretching and calisthenics

Aerobics: Walking/jogging/elliptical

Anaerobic: Using lightweights to strengthen a given muscle group through the rage of motion

Cool-down: Stretching and relaxation exercises

After a successful pilot, session 2 of the Faculty/Staff Exercise Program launched on Oct. 14 and will run through Dec. 13. Ses-sion two had a 35 percent increase in enrollment over session one. This program is being overseen by the Division of HR’s Benefits Department and Dr. Ellen Glickman, Ph.D. Glickman is Profes-sor and Coordinator of Exercise Physiology in the School of Health Sciences. In addition, more than 20 undergraduate, gradu-ate, and Ph.D. students from the School of Health Sciences are assisting with the program in various capacities, including conduct-ing research. This collaborative spirit of students, faculty, staff, and administration is another example of Excellence in Action.

Page 4 Kent State University, Division of Human Resources HR News December 2013

HR Hosts Open House and Welcome Reception for Latino

Networking Caucus and Pan African Faculty and Staff Association

The Division of Human Resources staff partnered with the Latino Networking Caucus (LNC) and members of the Pan African Faculty and Staff Association (PAFSA) in an Open House and luncheon. Over seventy repre-sentative members from both groups were in attend-ance for the event. Interim Vice Presi-dent for Human Resources, Joseph Vitale, welcomed the members as well as PAFSA President, Dr. Gerald-ine Nelson and LNC President, David Garcia. Spe-cial guest, Rev. Ronald Fowler, addressed the guests. HR Managers from the individual departments within Human Resources were on hand to share information on their specific departments and the services they pro-vide. Members from both groups chatted and shared experiences, as well as scheduled programs and events targeted to celebrate Latino and Pan African culture.

NAACP Celebration Honors HR Employee Renee Romine

On Oct. 26, Kent State NAACP student organization, HR Outreach, and Portage County Branch NAACP members joined together in celebration of the Portage County NAACP Annual Freedom Fund Dinner. The dinner was held at the Kent State University Student Center. Renee Romine, Human Resources Sr. Training Development Specialist, received the “Advocacy for Excellence Award.” KSU Alum, Per-kins Pringle, served as guest speaker for the event and had the pleasure of being introduced by his daughter, India Pringle. Ms. Pringle is currently a KSU freshmen. The community representation was a true reflection of the real meaning behind the spirit of the NAACP. Local partners in at-tendance at the event included Dr. Alfreda Brown, KSU Division of Diversity, State Representative Kathleen Clyde, various Portage County commissioners, King Kennedy Center Board, Portage County Community Action Council, PARTA, Giant Eagle of Ravenna, Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County and various university offices.

HR Engagement and Outreach The Human Resources Division partnered with Dr. Julia Levashina, faculty member in the College of Business Administra-tion, to provide ten Kent State University undergraduate students with internships. Upon completing an assessment and identification of the students’ particular area of interest, each one was assigned to their desired area within Human Resources. Selected areas included communications, compensation, benefits, leadership, records, train-ing and development, talent acquisition, affirmative action, and em-ployee relations. Individual HR managers have collaborated with interns to identify projects that support innovative and best practices within the field of human resources. The Division of Human Resources is pleased to continue this oppor-tunity to provide Kent State students this “real world” application. The internship opportunity serves as a win/win opportunity and prepares the students as they prepare to graduate and enter the work-force.

Human Resources Leadership Interim Vice President for Human Resources Joseph S. Vitale, Jr. jvitale1@kent.edu, (330) 672-8318 Associate Vice President for Human Resources Alvin Evans aevans3@kent.edu, (330) 672-8330 Executive Director, HR Outreach and Initiatives Geraldine Hayes-Nelson, PhD ghnelson@kent.edu, (330) 672-8075 Director, Benefits, and Compliance Loretta B. Shields, PHR lshields@kent.edu, (330) 672-8314 Director, Records and Support Services Amelie P. Anderson, PHR aanders3@kent.edu, (330) 672-0043

Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine

Onboarding Complete

On Oct. 1, 2013, the transition process

of joining together the OCPM and KSU

groups was finalized. KSUCPM staff

members were extended continuing em-

ployee agreements with the university to

begin Jan. 1, 2014. This project completes the journey, in support of

Dr. Lefton’s mission, in supporting the continuing operation of the

Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine and the Cleve-

land Foot and Ankle Clinic.

Kent State University, Division of Human Resources HR News December 2013 Page 5

New Faces/Going Places

The Division is pleased to announce our newest team members as well as those that have been offered promo-tional opportunities in the Division of Human Resources. The Division of Human Resources is pleased to announce the addition of David J. Dixon as Human Re-

source Director for Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine. David, in his role as the former Di-

rector of Human Resources for the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine (OCPM), became an important addi-

tion to the KSU HR team and helped to facilitate the OCPM/KSU merger. Prior to joining OCPM in 2005,

David has worked in various industries, including healthcare and manufacturing, holding strategic positions in

Human Resources and Operations.

Shanna Kuikahi joined the Human Resources team as Sr. Secretary effective Monday, Sept. 9. Shanna comes to Kent State

holding an Associate’s Degree from Kent State and having worked in the departments of political science, information services,

and research and graduate studies during her previous tenure with Kent State. As Sr. Secretary , Shanna will be working in the

executive suite supporting the senior leadership team.

Tia McKee has been promoted from Assistant Manager, HR Records to Manager, HR Records. Prior to join-

ing HR, Tia worked in the Payroll department from 2000-2004. Tia then joined the HR Records team as a Per-

sonnel Specialist. In Oct., 2010, Tia was promoted to Assistant Manager, HR Records. In her newest role as

Manager, HR Records, Tia will oversee the integrity of employee-related information under

the responsibility of the HR division, ensure adherence to university policy and procedures

and federal and state laws concerning records administration, and continue to serve as a

member of the HR management team.

Nickole McCail joined Human Resources on Oct. 1, 2012 as a Special Assistant. On Aug. 1, 2013, Nick-

ole moved to our Compensation Department as a Compensation Analyst. Prior to coming to Kent State, Nick-

ole was employed with Bank of America and the Cleveland Clinic. Nickole has a bachelor’s degree from the

University of Akron and a Master of Human Resource Management degree from the Keller Graduate School

of Management.

Alicia Moore joined Human Resources on Oct. 21, 2013, as a Clerical Specialist. Prior to returning to Kent State University she

served in a managerial role at The Country Club of Hudson. Alicia is excited about her return to Human Resources at Kent State

University. In her role as Clerical Specialist, and located at the very active front desk at Heer Hall, she is the welcoming face to all

that visit Human Resources and Heer Hall.

Human Resources Administrator Co-Authors Book

Alvin Evans, associate vice president for Human Resources, has co-authored his sixth book and showcases KSU’s diversity program. The New Talent Acquisition Frontier discusses the importance of integrating HR and di-versity strategy to enable organizations to maximize their human capital resources and unleash the contributions of a diverse and talented workforce. The book, co-authored with Dr. Edna Chun, associate vice chancellor for human resources at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, describes as a leading-edge best practice, a case

study of the successful diversity and inclusion approach led by Dr. Alfreda Brown, Vice President of Di-versity and Inclusion at Kent State University. Evans and Chun have authored a total of six books and numerous journal articles and were recipients of the prestigious Kathryn G. Hansen Publication Award by the national College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.

David J. Dixon

Tia McKee

Nickole McCail

Human Resources Strategic Direction 5.6.1: Improve processes, systems, and infrastructure to provide high levels of efficiency, quality, and cost effectiveness by regularly assessing HR efficiency and involving stakeholders.

By the Numbers

Recruiting and Retaining Excellence

Human Resources continue to recruit and retain talented and

diverse faculty and staff as well as promote an inclusive work-

place. We are proud of our service men and women and con-

tinue to increase our recruitment and hiring of veterans.

Includes: faculty; staff; term assignments; all campuses

Kent State has experienced a 45 percent increase in veteran hires 2005-2008 to 2009-2013.

Training & Development

The Division of Human Resources continues to grow its train-ing capacity by in-house development, facilitation and manage-ment of robust workshops and courses. Through a dual ap-proach of facilitator-led and online delivery, the division contin-ues to increase employee engagement in a wide-range of train-ing and development opportunities. The division also contin-ues to partner with local and regional organizations, municipali-ties, school districts and county governments in delivering train-ing courses and exchanging best practices.

Page 6 Kent State University, Division of Human Resources HR News December 2013

Recognitions and Awards

As further affirmation of the high value placed on recruiting and retaining our most important asset, our em-ployees, Kent State has received many distinguished recognitions in the past year: Kent State University was honored as a “Great College to Work For” by The Chronicle of Higher Education. This was the third year Kent State has received this honor. What makes this award very special is employee feedback is the primary factor in deciding whether an institution receives such recognition. Our employees brought this recognition to Kent State.

Kent State received the Commission 50 designation from the Commission on Economic Inclusion for its significant efforts regarding diversity and inclusion. Employer support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is awarded by ESGR State Committees to recognize employers at the local level who have gone above and beyond the legal requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Kent State

values those who have served and is proud to be recognized by the Department of Defense with the “Above and Beyond Award.”